An apparatus for feeding filling threads to a warp-knitting machine (DE-OS No. 2,134,022) is known.
In a flat weft-knitting machine, in particular, a stitch-knitting machine, for the production of a weft-and-warp-knit fabric, a continuous thread or a yarn group is constantly guided in a weft yarn insertion device. The weft can be moved back and forth, which yarn insertion device threads the yarn group from a first weft yarn conveyor means into a second weft yarn conveyor means, during which one weft yarn group of the yarn group is transferred by the weft yarn insertion device to the conveyor means as well as separated from the weft yarn insertion device and the yarn group. After this phase, the weft yarn group has free ends on both sides, so that the weft yarn conveyor means subsequently convey the weft yarn group to a looping point at which the weft yarns are connected to loop-forming warp yarns to form a fabric.
The weft yarn insertion device of the apparatus, however, is only capable of depositing in one forward-passing course one weft yarn group in weft yarn conveyor means. The backward-passing course or return movement of the insertion device occurs without the deposit of a weft yarn in the conveyor means.
With the known apparatus, at the start of each effective forward-passing course of the weft yarn insertion device, it is necessary for the free weft yarn ends to be re-inserted again into the weft yarn conveyor means, in order to hold the yarn ends tightly against the lifting movement of the insertion device.
For this reason, it is necessary to provide the weft yarn insertion device with relatively complicated yarn trapping means.
The inefficiency of the backward-passing course causes either a low conveying speed of the weft yarn conveyor means or an excessively high lifting speed of the weft yarn insertion device when a high conveyor speed is employed. Both phenomena have considerable disadvantages.
Equipping the weft yarn insertion device with yarn trapping means creates additional mass which has to be moved and which increases the costs of the drive. Furthermore, constant reinsertion of the yarn ends in the weft yarn conveyor means introduces functional uncertainties. This is disadvantageous.
The aim of the invention is to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages and to assure sufficient reliability of the machine at high operating speed.